Billiards and pool are popular games enjoyed in both private homes as well as in public places. The games of billiards and pool require a playing table, balls, and a cue. The cue is a leather-tipped tapering rod used to strike the cue ball. Cues come in a variety of lengths, weights and thicknesses to accommodate a player's preference. Thus, normally several cues are available to select from when playing a game of billiards or pool. The cues are typically stored at a convenient location near the playing table.
There are two basic types of storage devices for cues. The first is a wall-mounted rack having an upper member with a plurality of spring clips which receive the upper portion of the cue and a lower member having a plurality of recesses for receiving the lower end of the cues. The upper and lower members are permanently fastened to the wall and thus cannot be moved about. Although the wall-mounted racks are suitable to withstand the treatment encountered in one's home, it has been found that these racks do not satisfactorily withstand the treatment and abuse encountered in public or commercial establishments. Oftentimes, the spring clips fail and/or the fasteners securing the members to the wall pull out. Thus, maintaining wall-mounted cue racks is a continuous and costly endeavor in a commercial establishments.
The second type of cue storage apparatus is a floor standing cue rack. The floor standing cue rack typically comprises a base member which rests on the floor and includes one or more rods extending vertically above the base member. The rod or rods support an upper member having a plurality of holes through which the cues are inserted. The base member includes a plurality of recesses which receive the lower end of the cues. Alternatively, a lower member having a plurality of holes is positioned between the upper member and the base member and is supported by the vertical rod(s). In this alternate embodiment, the lower portion of the cue is inserted through the holes until the lower end of the cue comes to rest on the base member. The floor standing cue racks are moveable and generally of lightweight construction. In commercial applications, it has been found that the lightweight floor standing racks are not durable and often must be replaced.
An accessory item to the games of billiards and pool is chalk which the player applies to the hand and fingers to absorb moisture and provide a smooth, sliding surface for the cue when striking the cue ball. Typically, the chalk is conically shaped and has a central bore extending through the cone of chalk. The cone of chalk is usually lowered over a rod which is vertically mounted to a holder attached to a wall. The player slides his or her hand and fingers down the cone of chalk to apply chalk to the hand. During this application, a certain amount of chalk dust falls from the hand and cone to the floor below which results in a safety hazard due to the increased possibility of a person slipping and falling on the chalk-coated floor surface.
In addition to the safety aspects of the chalk-coated floor, the chalk also requires constant and routine cleaning of the floor not only in the area below the cone of chalk but throughout the room since the players walk in it and carry it around the table and the room.
It is desirable to have a sturdy, moveable, and durable cue rack which can withstand the abuse encountered in a commercial establishment such as a pool hall. It is further desirable to have a cue rack which requires no maintenance or replacement. It would also be desirable to incorporate advertising material on the cue racks such that companies could endorse products on the cue racks which would help in defraying the operating cost of the pool hall proprietor. It would also be desirable to eliminate the safety hazard and floor mess associated with the cone chalk.